Electric lamp



(No Model.) J. W. LANGLEY.

ELECTRIC LAMP. 119. 248,187. Patented Oct. 11, 1881.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN \V. LANGLEY, OF

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN.

ELECTRIC LAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 248,187, dated October 11, 1881,

Application filed June 14, 1881 (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. LANGLEY, of Ann Arbor, in the county of VVashtenaw and State ofMichigan, have in vented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Lamps, of which the following is a specification.

Figure 1 is an elevation, partially in section. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the box at the top of the lamp, with the cover removed. perspective of the clamping device, with the carbon-holder withdrawn.

My invention consists in the various devices for communicating and regulating the electric current, hereinafter described and claimed.

The frame proper of the lamp is composed of metallic rods, except the top, which is a plate ot'metal. The vertical sides 11 and bottom 10 of the frame are in electrical contact, and the sides are insulated from the top by ii'isnlating-sleevcs 3 and 4, Fig. 1. The construction of this frame is so obvious that I do not deem it necessary to describe it particularly.

T is a box, placed on top of the frame, the

bottom of box T being the top of the frame. The sides T and T are made of wood or other material which is a non-conductor of electric- I it j A is a binding-post, fastened to the side T of the box T, to which the line-wire is fastened.

E is an electro magnet fastened to the bottom of box '1, but insulated therefrom.

G is the armature of electro-magnet E, pivoted to said electro-maguet at I.

K is a bar of any suitable insulating material, fastened to the free end of armature Gr.

L is a connecting-rod fastened by a pin to the end ot'bar K, and having on its upperend a screw-thread to take the-nut N. Rod L passes through a hole in the end of lever O, and around the upper end of rod L is a loose sleeve, of any suitable material, M, having at its ends flangeswhich will not pass through the hole in lever 0. By turning the nut- N the connecting-rod L will be raised or lowered, and in this manner the distance between the electro-magnet E and its armature G can be regulated.

The object of the sleeve M is to allow the nut N to be outside of the box T for convenience in regulating the armature.

O is a lever, hung pivotally at P from the under side of the cover of box T. The end of Fig. 3 is a. f

ilever O is forked, as shown at H, Figs. 1 and 2, to pass around the carbon-holder O.

y 12 is an opposing spring acting on lever 0, provided with suitable means for regulating its resistance, as shown in Fig. 1.

F is a dash-pot, partially tilled with glycerine, the piston-rod of which is pivoted to lever {O at S.

I C is a metal tube passing vertically through gthe center of box T, and serves as a guide for fthe upper carbon.

B is a connecting-rod, pivoted at its upper end to lever O and at its lower end to jaw U.

V is a metal ring or frame encircling the carbon-holder (l, but sliding freely thereon. Attached to ring V are two wires, 1 g, which run up parallel with carbon-holder O, and at ltheir upper ends pass through lugs fastened to carbon-holder C, or are fastened to a collar sliding on carbon-holder 0, so that as ring V is raised by connecting-rod R wires g y will keep said ring from tipping or tilting.

U is a canrshaped jaw pivoted to ring V, as shown in the drawings; and W is a jaw fastened to ring V, opposite to jaw U.

X is a screw which fastens jaw W to ring V, and passes through a slot in jaw W, thus allowing said jaw a lateral motion for permitting adjustment to compensate for variation in the size of the carbons. v a

Y is a screw tapped into the side of ring V, passing through said ring and bearing against the lower portion of jaw XV. By turning screw Yjaw W can be forced toward or allowed to recede from jaw U.

D is a hollow metal post, provided with a thumb-screw for holding the lower carbon.

B is a binding-post, attached to side T of box T, from'which the line-wire leading from the lamp issues.

Q is a switch of well-known construction, by which the lamp is cut out of the circuit when for any reason-as failure of carbon, &c.-the

current cannot pass through the lamp. As the electro-magnet E,andpasses the main current through said electro-magnet F. From said electro-magnet the" main current passes into carbon-holder O, branch 1 being soldered thereto, down through carbon-holder G, and the upper carbon, into the lower carbon, through the bottom of the frame, up the sides of the frame, and through line 1 into binding postB. Branch 2 is wound around the armature G in such a manner that the direction of the cur rent around armature G will be contrary to the direction of the current around the electromagnet E. From armature G branch 2 passes directly to binding-post B. In the drawings armature G is shown in the form of a horseshoe electro'magnet; but it may be a straight bar of metal with branch 2 wound around its center. Ifbranches land 2run parallel around electro-magnet E and armature Gr, they must be so wound that the currents in said electromagnet E and armature G will run in contrary directions. The wire of which branch 2 is composed is much finer, and therefore of much higher resistance, than the wire of branch 1.

For convenience I will hereafter call branch 1 the main circuit and branch 2 theshuntcircuit.

As the resistance of the main circuit is much less than that of the shunt-circuit, the larger portion of the electric current,enterin g at binding-post A, will follow the main circuit, pass through the carbons, and produce the voltaic arc, while only a small portion of the current will pass through the shunt-circuit. The electro-magnet E will thus be magnetized much more powerfully than the armature G, and will attract said armature, thereby raising the upper carbon by means of rod L, lever 0, rod R, and the clamping mechanism shown. As the carbons are consumed the resistance of the main circuit will be increased and a larger proportion of the current will be diverted into the shunt-circuit. This will cause the armature G to become more strongly magnetized, and as the direction of the current in armature G is opposite to that otthe current in electro-magnet E, the two currents will repel each other, the attraction of magnet E upon armature G will be weakened, and the upper carbon will be allowed to descend until the diminished distance between the carbons lowers the resistance of the main circuit to its normal condition.

ltwillbe seen that where a number of electric lamps are supplied from one generator this device will prevent a portion of the lamps from robbing the others of their proportional share of the electric current by rendering it impossible for the electroanagnct E to hold the carbons so far apart in any particular lamp as to weaken the current, so that the carbons in another lamp will be allowed to come together and remain in contact. The same result may be partiallyattained by winding the wire of the shunt-circuit around the electro-maguet E in an opposite direction to the main circuit, as shown in apatent granted to Charles F. Brush 11th February, 1879; but such an arrangement requires a shunt-circuit of great length, so that the wire becomes intensely hot, and acts by simply weakening the magnetic power of electro-magnet E, while the device herein described needs only a comparatively shortshuntcircuit, and causes the magnet and armature to become mutually repellent, in addition to weakening the magnetic power of the magnet.

It will, of course, be understood that the electro-magnet and armature do not absolutely repel each other, for the magnet is magnetized so much more powerfully than the armature that it attracts the latter in some degree, even when the electro-magnet and armature are so magnetized that if they were of equal power they would absolutely repel each other. The dash-pot F serves to check the motions of lever 0, causing the lever to move slowly and regularly, and obviating flickering ot' the light.

The operation of the lamp is as follows: The carbons being in position, and no current passing through the lamp, the upper carbon will fall through the carbon-holder C until it rests upon the lower carbon. The electric current being now passed into the-lamp through binding-post A, nearly all of the current will pass through the main circuit into the carbonholder 0, thence through the upper and lower carbons, the bottom of the frame, up the sides of the frame, and through line 1 andswitch Q to binding-post B, from whence it is carried out of the lamp. The current will cause electro-maguet E to attract armature G, thus depressing bar K, and by means of rod L, lever O, and rod It the outer end of jaw U will be raised. This forces the inner end of jaw U against the upper carbon, thus gripiug the upper carbon firmly between jaws U and V, and as rod R continues to rise it carries with it ring V, with jaws U and Wand the upper carbon, thus separating the carbons and estab lishing the voltaic arc. Owing to the comparatively high resistance of the shunt-circuit, avery small amount of current will pass through it, and the armature G will be magnetized so slightly as to interfere very little with the attractive power of electro-lnagnet E. As the carbons are consumed the resistance of the main circuit increases, and a large proportion of the electric current passes through the shunt-circuit. This causes armature G- to become a magnet, which tends to repel magnet E, until, finally, magnet E loses its power of attracting armature G, bar K is raised by the action of spring 12, ja ws UlV descend and allow the upper carbon to approach the lower carbon until the resistance of the main circuit becomes normal. The jaws U WV move in slots cut in the carbon-holder G, and when lever O is at the bottom ofits downward stroke, jaws U W strike the bottom of the slots or a fixed collar on carbon-holder O, and the inner end of jaw U is forced upward, thus releasing the upper carbon, which falls by gravity until it strikes the lower carbon or is again grasped byjaws U W and raised. As soon as the resistance of the main circuit is decreased the larger portion of the electric current will again flow through the main circuit, magnet E will attract armature G, and the lamp will continue to operate as above described. It, for any cause, the electric current is wholly unable to pass from binding-post A to bindingpost B through the carbons and frame of the lamp, it passes from carbon-holder C through the bottom of box T, into wire 5, which is connected at one end with the bottom of box T and at the other end with the vibrating arm 7 of switch Q, and through said vibrating arm 7 into binding-post B. As long as the current is passing through the carbons the small electromagnet 6 attracts vibrating arm 7, so that it can not come in contact with binding-post B; but as soon as the main circuit is broken the spring shown in switch Q draws vibrating arm 7 into contact with binding-post B, thus practically cutting the lamp out of the circuit.

I do not here claim an electromagnet whose helix is in the main circuit, having an armature with a helix thereon in a shunt-circuit, and mechanism for connecting the free end of the armature with the upper carbon, as such combination forms the subject-matter of a separate application for Letters Patent.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination,in an e1ectriclamp,of the following elements, viz: an electro magnet the helix of which is in the main circuit of the lamp, an armature to said elect-ro-magnet having thereon a helix of high resistance in a shuntcircuit, the direction of the current through said helices being opposite upper and lower carbons, the upper one set loosely in a vertical tube or guide, and the lower one held fixed, and suitable mechanism for connecting the free end of the armature with a clamping device adapted to clasp the upper carbon, as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In an electric-lamp, the combination of the electro-magnet E, having armature G, connecting-rod L, having sleeve M and nut N thereon, bar K, lever O, connecting-rod 1t, and a clamping device attached to said rod It. and acting upon the upper carbon, substantially as shown and described.

3. The wires 9 and vertically-movable ring connected thereto and surrounding the carbonholder, in combination with a jaw pivoted at one side of said ring, and mechanism, substantially as described, for operating the jaw and causing it to grasp and elevate the upper carbon the required distance away from the lower carbon for the voltaic are, substantially as described.

4. The wires 9 and a movable ring which loosely surrounds the carbon-holder, in combination with a cam-jaw pivoted at one side of the ring, a laterally-adj ustable jaw at the other side of the same, and mechanism for actuating the pivoted cam-jaw, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. In an electric-lamp, the clamping device shown, consisting of the ring V, encircling the upper carbon-holder, and having the jaws U W, said jaw U being a cam pivoted to said ring V, and said jaw W being bolted to said ring V and capable of adjustment, substantially as shown and described.

6. In an electric-lamp, the combination of the armature Gr, bar K, connecting-rod L, nut N, and sleeve M, whereby the distance of the free end of the armature from the electro-magnet can be regulated from the outside of the lamp, substantially as shown and described.

JOHN W. LANGLEY.

' Witnesses J. W. HAMILTON,

CHARLES A. BARRY. 

